Unrequited
by alliebroadwaydreams
Summary: One day Abe decides to confess to Mihashi, much to the pitchers surprise. Tajima becomes jealous and Hanai becomes desperate. ABEMIHA TAJIHANAI onesided!TAJIMIHA
1. Chapter 1

"Hey, Mihashi" Mihashi looked up to the familiar voice of his classmate and team-mate, Izumi. He blushed at the sudden interaction of another person and avoided his gaze as he struggled to reply to the freckled pretty boy.

"W-w-w-what Izumi-kun" Mihashi stuttered, Izumi smiled at the nervous boy—he was used to his timidness.

"Abe's asked for you" Izumi replied, his lip twisted with something unknown as he watched Mihashi start to blush furiously and widen his eyes. Mihashi sat up straight on his desk and started to fidget uncontrollably, his hands flying to his shirt, to his face, to his hair then back to his shirt.

"A-Abe kun?" Mihashi stuttered, looking over to the door and finding that Abe was, in fact, standing awkwardly in the doorway staring intently over at Izumi and Mihashi. Mihashi's blush grew and crept down to his neck as he caught the catcher's eyes.

Abe motioned for Mihashi to follow him, Mihashi nodded, completely dazed and obeyed; he followed Abe out of the room without another glance to the rest of the room.

Tajima narrowed his eyes slightly at the pair, his eyes followed the back of Mihashi, desperately wishing for the pitcher to turn around and look at him. His eyes lowered to his desk as Mihashi exited the room without a second glance. Shit.

"A-Abe kun?" Mihashi said quietly as he followed Abe into the corridor, Abe turned to look at him and he flushed. "W-why—" Mihashi trailed off, he looked to his feet as they both stood still, silence engulfing them.

"I like you" Abe blurted out way too suddenly, Mihashi's eyes grew impossibly large as time seemed to stand still. Abe looked determinedly at Mihashi, his focus never straying from the nervous pitcher. He moved to lay a hand tentatively on Mihashi's arm; the other boy flinched yet held his ground. "I mean it, Mihashi." Abe said. "I really like you"

* * *

><p>"Do you think Abe finally told him?" Hamada asked, Izumi shrugged his shoulders.<p>

"No way, Abe's way too stubborn" Izumi replied simply. Hamada seemed unsure. Both boys turned their attention to Tajima.

"What do you think?" Hamada asked the clean-up hitter, who seemed to be scowling for some reason. Maybe he was hungry, the captain of the cheer squad thought.

"What does it matter what I think?" Tajima muttered dejectedly, Izumi and Hamada exchanged glances before Izumi spoke up.

"Well aside from Abe you and Mihashi are the closest" The freckled boy said, Tajima scoffed.

"Abe close to Mihashi? All he does is yell at him and nag him, he's just bossy" Tajima stated, Izumi muttered in agreement—he hated to admit it but the freckled clean-up hitter was right, Abe didn't seem that close with Mihashi at all outside of the field.

Tajima resumed his previous activity of scowling at his desk, Hamada and Izumi decided to leave the freckled boy alone—he seemed to be in a bad mood anyway.

* * *

><p>"You don't have to reply to me straight away" Abe said, completely embarrassed, to the pitcher. Mihashi shifted uncomfortably where he was standing.<p>

"I-I-I-It's not th-that I don't like A-Abe kun" Mihashi stuttered out, his face gradually turning redder at each syllable. "I-I've just never thought of Abe kun in that way" Mihashi finally managed, Abe nodded to show that he understood.

"I was a bit sudden, wasn't I?" Abe said softly, Mihashi nodded and averted the brunettes gaze. Abe deliberated hugging the shy boy however he knew that now wasn't the time—it'd be too confusing for Mihashi.

"I'll get back to class now" Abe stated, he walked past Mihashi and made his way down the corridor, before he turned the corner he looked back to where Mihashi was standing—Mihashi was looking in his direction, with a dazed expression. Abe's face flushed bright red and he quickly turned around and walked to his classroom without a second glance—wishing that these things didn't have to be so embarrassing.

Mihashi could still feel his face heating up as he made his way back into the classroom; Izumi caught his eye and grinned widely.

"Hey, look, Mihashi's back!" The freckled boy exclaimed, Tajima's head shot up to where Mihashi was standing awkwardly by the door—his eyes narrowed as he saw the crimson blush on the pitcher's face.

"Mihashi, your face is really red" Hamada stated, Mihashi brought a hand up to his face to attempt to hide the blush as he sat back down in between Tajima and Izumi. Tajima eyed the pitcher warily before turning back to his desk with a strange heavy feeling in his heart.

The bell rang for lesson to be over and Mihashi had started to pack his books away, he was doing so half-heartedly as he had too much on his mind to concentrate on such insignificant things.

_I wonder how I should reply to Abe kun…_

Mihashi was snapped out of his trance as he felt hands slam down onto his desk and looked up find Tajima in front of his desk—staring intently at him.

"Mihashi" Tajima started, he seemed to be fighting with himself in his mind as he struggled to form a sentence—which was seriously unlike him.

"T-Tajima kun?" Mihashi uttered, he saw something flash in Tajima's eyes as the clean-up hitter bit his lip. Tajima glared at Mihashi, his eyes delving straight into Mihashi's own. An angry look covered the dark haired boy's face which again was incredibly unusual to see.

"What did Abe say to you?" Tajima asked, almost bitterly to the nervous boy. Mihashi stared at Tajima's current expression; he watched the clean-up hitter's face twist into something strange, he watched as an almost hurt expression covered the freckled boy's face, as if he was in severe pain over something.

Mihashi's eyes widened at this expression, he watched a blush spread furiously across Tajima's face and he found himself blushing at the sheer sight of it. What was up with Tajima today?

"H-he—it was nothing" Mihashi managed to mumble, Tajima shook his head and leaned forward to catch Mihashi's eyes in his own.

"Don't lie to me Mihashi" Tajima remarked desperately, Mihashi avoided the boy's stare and muttered something about having to get home quickly on his mother's orders. He left Tajima in a hurry and exited the room all too quickly.

Tajima dropped down onto Mihashi's seat and rested his head against the table angrily.

"Goddammit." Tajima hissed to himself as he felt tears well up in his eyes. "Goddammit it all."

* * *

><p>Mihashi couldn't get Tajima's pained expression out of his mind, there must've been a reason for the boy to look that way but Mihashi really couldn't figure out what it could be. He was lost deep in thought however the constant buzz of his phone snapped him out of his trance. He looked over to his cell phone and felt his face heat up. Could it be Abe kun? What if he changed his mind about liking him? Mihashi bit his lip and reached over to grab the small electronic item.<p>

From: Abe Takaya  
>Subject: About Today<p>

Mihashi read the subject title and felt sick; maybe he was going to take it all back after all. The pitcher carried on reading.

_Mihashi, I'm sorry if I was too forward today, I just can't help myself around you anymore, you know? I'm not going to rush you for an answer or anything I just need to see you, meet me tomorrow behind the clubhouse? Again, you don't have to; I'm not gonna pressure you into anything. – Takaya_

Mihashi blushed furiously at the use of his first name; did Abe want him to call him Takaya? Was that a hint? Should he call Mihashi Ren? Mihashi shook his head, no. Not until they were both in some sort of relationship with each other.

Honestly he didn't know how he felt about Abe, he genuinely really cared about the catcher, but whether that was love or admiration Mihashi couldn't decipher. He did get nervous around the boy, that much was obvious, he blushed a lot around him but then again he blushes when he gets nervous.

He had never really anticipated Abe to like him, he had always thought Abe despised him and thought of him as a nuisance, to think that the catcher actually harnessed feelings for him was really a strange thought. But here they were, Abe had confessed to him, all Mihashi needed to do now was realise what it exactly was that he felt for the boy.

Mihashi laid back on his bed, his cell phone still clutched tightly in his hand, he pictured Abe's face still nervous and blushing from his confession. Mihashi sighed and closed his eyes. He had a lot of thinking to do.

* * *

><p>Abe didn't even know how long he stared at his cell phone for; he couldn't control the embarrassed blush creeping over his features. He had finished off a text as Takaya, he knew he was being way too forward—he couldn't help it though, after confessing to Mihashi he didn't want to waste any more time with the pitcher, he wanted every single second of their relationship to mean something. He knew Mihashi needed time and despite being incredibly impatient Abe respected that.<p>

His phone buzzed with life, in a shot he had opened the message and began reading it.

From: Mihashi Ren  
>Subject: RE: About Today<br>_I'd like that Abe kun, thank you for giving me time, I want to be sure of my feelings first before I decide on anything, I'll see you tomorrow. – Mihashi_

His heart sank as he read the last part, he signed it as Mihashi, Abe was going too fast.

He'll have to tone it down tomorrow, unless he wanted to scare Mihashi off. _Mihashi._ Just the mere thought of the blonde haired boy caused Abe to smile stupidly to himself, when he had first met Mihashi he couldn't even imagine liking him, especially not in that way. Mihashi had always been unusual, yet that unusualness is what caught Abe's attention—he wasn't like the other pitchers, he obeyed Abe, he listened to Abe, they helped each other. Abe treasured that relationship more than anything. Everyone had always joked about Abe and Mihashi's unusual relationship, they compared Abe to a nagging wife of Mihashi and always stated that they acted like an old married couple, Abe smiled at the thought.

He closed his eyes and pictured Mihashi's surprised face after he had confessed, there was a hint of relief and joy in Mihashi's expression, mixed with the shock of the sudden confession. That look meant more to Abe then anyone would ever know.

Tomorrow he planned to make Mihashi see that his feelings are true, that they were perfect for each other.

* * *

><p>Tajima was fed up, he had been in such a good mood until Abe showed up, he had talked to Mihashi loads and even put his arm around the boy like he usually did. However Abe decided today of all days to grow a pair and ask Mihashi out.<p>

Tajima knew that this day would come eventually however he hoped that he would get to be the first one to confess to Mihashi. He never thought that Abe would be the first, and he really didn't expect that much of a reaction out of Mihashi. Which is why he got pissed off and confronted Mihashi about it.

Tajima placed his head in his hands and let out a deep groan. What was so special about Abe anyway? He treated Mihashi like crap and ordered him around way too much; he had to use Tajima as a translator for when Mihashi mumbled too much for God's sake.

Despite all of that deep down Tajima knew that Mihashi had feelings for the catcher, he would be a fool to think that Mihashi only saw Abe as a friend.

He couldn't believe he had fallen for Mihashi, it happened completely out of the blue as well, ever since Abe injured his leg and Tajima had to play catcher he just felt this instant connection with Mihashi, he knew straight away that he liked Mihashi as more than a friend. He didn't say anything though, he kept things peaceful and acted best friend to Mihashi, like they always had done.

It was starting to eat away at Tajima now, however. He couldn't handle it anymore—the wishful thinking, the stolen glances, the rush he got whenever Mihashi was near him—it was more than he could bear and he was finally at his last tether.

He wanted to tell Mihashi his feelings, he wanted to be clear with the blonde haired boy that he wanted to pursue him, he wanted them to be more than best friends, he wanted to give the world to Mihashi and give him much more than Abe could ever dream of.

He heard the subtle tones of his phone cover the silence of his room; he rolled across his bed and lazily checked his phone.

_Hanai Asuza Calling_

Tajima raised an eyebrow and clicked 'ok'

"Hanai?" Tajima said sleepily, he feigned a yawn hoping Hanai wouldn't notice that he had been crying.

"Mihashi's meeting up with Abe tomorrow" Hanai started, Tajima stopped breathing for a split second, he held his breath as the captain carried on speaking. "He's probably going to give him an answer" Hanai finished and waited patiently for Tajima to reply.

"S-so what, good for Mihashi and Abe" Tajima stated, he tried to sound nonchalant but it came out incredibly bitter, he winced at his own voice.

"You never had a chance, you know" Hanai continued, Tajima felt a jolt in his chest and anger soar straight through his veins. "Mihashi would always pick him, they're the battery after all" Hanai finished. That's it. Tajima was pissed off.

"What the fuck do you know" Tajima growled into the receiver, Hanai didn't reply—Tajima assumed that he was surprised. "You don't know what Mihashi feels for me you—" Tajima choked out, he let out a small sob which sounded so pained and heart-wrenching Hanai wasn't entirely sure what to do."You don't know what I feel for him" Tajima wept, he cried long and hard as Hanai patiently listened, now and again uttering words of comfort to the broken boy. "I'm sorry" Tajima whispered over and over again.

* * *

><p>Hanai wasn't the type to let his jealousy engulf him; he didn't lose it like Tajima did. He waited, he would always be the one to wait, that was just his personality, he thought rationally unlike the clean-up hitter.<p>

However lately his jealousy had been getting the better of him. Every time he saw Tajima casually fling an arm around Mihashi—every time the freckled boy looked dotingly at the smaller blonde boy Hanai felt his chest ache, he felt his mood spiral downwards—he was angrier, yet he refused to show it.

He would always notice Tajima acting like a love sick puppy around Mihashi, the pitcher was (of course) completely oblivious, as was the rest of the team for that matter. Hanai truly thought the only one to pay attention to Tajima's actions and expressions was himself.

He admired Tajima, in many ways. His personality drew people towards him, he was an amazing clean-up hitter, an amazing baseball player, an amazing friend—he was everything that Hanai wasn't, initially, that's the reason why Hanai fell for him. He was attracted to admiration, he idolised Tajima and in turn began to fall in love with him. Tajima was completely oblivious, not that Hanai showed it at all anyway.

When Abe had arrived back from his meet up with Mihashi his face was crimson, Hanai had asked what had happened and Abe mumbled that he had confessed to Mihashi. Hanai's heart fell, he thought of Tajima—how would Tajima take this news? Everyone knew that Abe and Mihashi would get together, it was inevitable, surely Tajima hadn't tricked himself into believing that Mihashi could be his?

Hanai was angry, not at Tajima, but at Abe and Mihashi, that they would unknowingly hurt someone like Tajima. He knew he was being stupid, Abe and Mihashi deserved this happiness but seeing Tajima hurt or upset just tore him to pieces, Tajima was always the optimistic one, the one who would smile even though they could be losing the most important game of their lives, the one to say "we can do this" and seeing him upset was just wrong.

Which left Hanai in the situation he was in now, a distraught Tajima crying down the phone to him. To say that it upset him to hear Tajima acting this way was an understatement, Hanai was on the verge of tears while trying to calm Tajima down.

"Tajima listen" Hanai said, Tajima's sniffs became quieter and an uncomfortable silence dawned upon both boys. Hanai took a deep breath. "Mihashi likes Abe, you know that" Hanai remarked, he winced as he heard Tajima whine slightly. "You can't do anything, this crush you have on him—I hate to say it but I don't think it's likely he'll respond to it" Hanai admitted, Tajima became quiet which unnerved Hanai, the raven haired boy wasn't usually this quiet.

"Tajima?" Hanai said softly.

"I don't know what to do" Tajima stated in barely a whisper, his voice sounded so broken, Hanai couldn't stop the tears from falling down his cheeks, his heart yearned for this boy—too much. "Every time I see him I have to—to stop myself from saying how I feel" Tajima sniffed, Hanai felt a jolt in his chest, he needed to hold this boy and he needed to hold him _**now.**_

Hanai felt so helpless, Tajima needed physical comfort and all Hanai could give him was a few reassuring words which he doubted Tajima was even listening to.

"Tajima, I have to go now—but meet me tomorrow, okay?" Hanai asked, he heard shuffling on the other line and figured that Tajima was moving into a more comfortable position.

"Okay, where are we meeting?" Tajima mumbled, still dejected. Hanai paused to think of a secluded place for them both.

"How about behind the clubhouse?" Hanai suggested.

"Okay, thank you Hanai" Tajima whispered before hanging up swiftly. Hanai's heart was beating in his chest, his faced flushed red as Tajima's words circled in his head.

_Thank you Hanai_

Shit. Hanai had it bad.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Sorry for the delay! My laptops broken and I can't get a new one till Christmas so i'm occasionally using my brother's for the time being! Which is why I took so long to update this chapter! The chapter after this one will be the final chapter! Sorry for this one being so depressing, I adore angst! I swear the next one gets happier for Tajima!**

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><p>Mihashi was extremely nervous to say the least, in fact he had reached an entirely new state of nervousness and it was all Abe's fault. He was currently standing behind the clubhouse, his cheeks flushed and his breathing erratic—he was awaiting Abe to arrive yet there was no sign of the controlling catcher anywhere.<p>

"Mihashi?" Mihashi turned around to face the sudden, extremely familiar voice calling him. Tajima stood in front of him, bent over and panting to catch his breath.

"T-Tajima kun?" Mihashi stuttered in surprise. "What are you doing here?" The nervous pitcher finished off. Tajima stared intently at the blonde haired boy—a noticeable blush forming on his cheeks. Mihashi figured that the blush must have been caused from running too much—yeah, that had to be it.

"I'm waiting for someone" Tajima replied, he shuffled nervously on the spot where he was standing. "What about you?" His eyes caught Mihashi's and the pitcher couldn't help but blush at how intense Tajima was staring at him.

"M-me too" Mihashi replied, an awkward silence covered the usually friendly atmosphere between both the boys and Tajima decided to speak first.

"You're waiting for Abe?" His voice sounded unusually emotionless, his expression became bored. Mihashi nodded in reply.

"Y-yes, Abe-kun he—" Mihashi blushed and smiled softly to himself, Tajima's heart fell. He stared at Mihashi brokenly, his eyes starting to water slightly at the boy he liked talking about another in such a way. Mihashi looked alarmed.

"T-Tajima kun? Are you hurt?" Mihashi asked in surprise, Tajima's face twisted in a strange expression and the clean-up hitter found himself suddenly closer to Mihashi than he had realised.

"I am hurt" Tajima admitted, he watched Mihashi's face become more worried and something snapped within the raven haired boy—he couldn't take it anymore. "My heart hurts" Tajima whispered—his voice hitching in a heart-wrenching way. Mihashi's face softened with something akin to realisation, he looked sadly at Tajima.

"It's about a girl right? S-She's an idiot to r-reject you, Tajima kun" Mihashi said reassuringle, Tajima couldn't help the ironic laugh emit from his mouth. He looked Mihashi straight in the eyes—Mihashi's eyes were determined, excited, Tajima couldn't hold it in anymore, he was too emotionally drained.

"It's not a girl I like, Mihashi." Tajima stated, Mihashi looked puzzled for a second—his blush growing more prominent the closer Tajima got to him.

"T-Then who—" Mihashi was cut off with Tajima's lips moving enthusiastically against his own—Tajima's hands cupped his cheeks as the raven haired boy pressed on with his lips, they felt rough yet loving to the pitcher who was caught completely off guard.

Mihashi opened his eyes slowly—becoming more aware of what was actually happening. His eyes travelled to a figure in the distance, the figure stood in complete shock and disbelief at what was happening. Mihashi's eyes grew large and scared. He pushed away from Tajima—the clean-up hitter had a dazed look on his face.

"A-Abe kun" Mihashi exclaimed in horror, Tajima turned around to catch sight of the catcher and he narrowed his eyes, keeping his body as close as possible to Mihashi's. Abe looked between the two—his eyes sad and hurt. He turned around without another word and left. Mihashi looked completely devastated, his heart hurt. Abe had just seen—he would think—tears fell down Mihashi's cheeks as he started sobbing uncontrollably. He moved to follow Abe however Tajima grabbed his wrist, tears also falling from the freckled boy's face.

"Mihashi. I love you. I love you so much, I can't stand it" Tajima exclaimed, Mihashi shook his head—the tears falling thick and fast from his eyes.

"T-Tajima kun stop it" Mihashi managed to sob through his tears, Tajima looked physically hurt and completely heartbroken. Mihashi made to leave again however Tajima's grip was firm.

"Please, Mihashi, choose me" Tajima wept hysterically. "Please, I can treat you so much better—just, don't go after him" Tajima's voice became loud, shaky and uncontrolled as he begged with all the broken emotion he could muster. "Please" He whispered once more. Mihashi couldn't stop crying.

"I-I'm sorry" Mihashi stated, he shook himself from Tajima's grip desperately, his eyes darting to the direction Abe took. "Abe kun he—I—I love him" Mihashi finally admitted, not just to Tajima but to himself as well. He placed a soft kiss on Tajima's head and left the boy crying and alone. Tajima shivered at how suddenly cold everything seemed, he wrapped his arms around himself and cried loud and long into the cold morning air.

"A-Abe kun!" Mihashi shouted desperately, he couldn't find his catcher anywhere.

He slowly wrapped his arms around himself—a sob escaping his lips. Abe had thought that he and Tajima were—that he liked—everything was falling apart too suddenly.

"Abe kun" Mihashi whispered to himself, from a distance he could hear the faint ring of the school bell. With one last fleeting look into his surroundings he left.

* * *

><p>"Tajima" The boy in question looked up to find Hanai staring at him sumpathetically. Tajima couldn't bear to look the captain in his eyes.<p>

"I ruined everything" Tajima whispered brokenly, Hanai knelt down next to the clean-up hitter and carefully placed an arm around his shoulders. Tajima fell into the touch straight away, feeling the need to be comforted. "I've ruined mine and Mihashi's relationship and Mihashi's and Abe's relationship at the same time" Tajima struggled to finish the sentence, he bit his lip as a few more tears made their way down his cheeks.

"You're sorry for it though, it can still be fixed" Hanai whispered to Tajima, he wrapped his other arm around Tajima and soon enough the clean-up hitter was tightly leaning against his chest, searing warmth circling around both the boys.

"I kissed him" Tajima felt Hanai's grip loosen slightly around him, he looked up at the captain with an ashamed expression. "He was just looking all sorry for me and he had that stupid blush on his face I—I didn't mean to, Hanai I honestly didn't" Tajima was crying again, he heard Hanai sigh and tighten his arms around him.

"I know you didn't mean to." Hanai told the freckled boy. "It can still be solved, okay? First thing you have to do is apologise to Mihashi, then apologise to Abe" Hanai stated, Tajima sniffed and wiped his tears away with his arm.

"Yeah" He replied, his voice wobbling and his pride corrupting his mind, he didn't want to apologise at all, he_ wanted_ to kiss Mihashi—he _loved_ Mihashi. Why should he apologise to Abe of all people, no matter how much the catcher acted like it he didn't own Mihashi. Tajima couldn't even fathom why Mihashi would like a guy like Abe, but yet Mihashi stated that he loved Abe. _He loved him._

"What are you thinking right now?" Hanai said softly to the shaking boy next to him.

"Mihashi told me he loved Abe." Hanai nodded in response.

"We all could see that, you knew that. Tajima you need to get over Mihashi, you can do whatever you can to get over him, it's hopeless chasing after a lost cause" Hanai told the boy. Tajima knew he had to do it, but he just didn't want to let Mihashi go. He was in love with him.

Hanai held the broken boy in his arms until they both heard the bell ring lightly for class.

"Come on" Hanai said as he stood up, he held out a hand for Tajima to grab. "Let's go to class, you'll have to face him sometime" Tajima sniffed once more and grabbed Hanai's hand tightly, his fears slowly disappearing with each reassuring look Hanai gave him.

"Okay" Tajima whispered, he needed to do this, he'll apologise to Mihashi first and then to Abe. And he'll wish them both good luck in their relationship.

And they'll live happily ever after, Tajima thought in spite.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Ah! Guys! I'm SO beyond sorry that I've taken so long to update this fanfic ! Uni work and my part time job have been piling on and I've only recently acquired a new laptop! I've managed to complete all my essays and revision notes so I've found time on my day off to complete this fic once and for all! I hope you all will be satisfied with the ending, everything ties up in this chapter and sorts itself out ! I'm glad you've all enjoyed this fanfic, I've adored writing it-I just love this series so much! Thank you for reading, I love you all!**

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><p>Mihashi sat nervously in class; he was angry and frustrated at himself for letting Tajima do that—for not realising in the first place Tajima's feelings. He couldn't blame the boy for doing what he did, he wasn't necessarily <em>angry<em> at Tajima, he just wished with his entire being that Abe _didn't _have to see that.

The look on Abe's face said everything. He had such a pained expression, as if everything he could ever want was just taken in the space of a second. The pitcher never wanted to see that look on his catcher's face _ever_ again. He knew he needed to make amends and he would do just that as soon as the bell for break would ring.

"Mihashi translate what I just said into English!" Mihashi looked shamelessly up into the hard stare of the teacher, he could feel his cheeks turning painfully red as the class turned around to look at him.

"I-I'm sorry, I wasn't pa-paying attention" Mihashi choked out, completely humiliated. The teacher sighed and shook her head.

"I'm afraid you'll have to stay behind at break" Mihashi nodded glumly in response, his heart sinking as that meant even longer time to wait before he could apologise to Abe.

Tajima eyed Mihashi carefully, he had originally wanted to apologise to Mihashi first however he couldn't if Mihashi was in detention. When the bell rang he sighed and made his way out of the room with one last glance at the miserable Mihashi. The freckled boy made his way to Hanai's class, knowing full well that Abe would be there.

* * *

><p>He braced himself before entering the open door, he caught Hanai's eye and his chest thumped with a strange feeling—perhaps it was embarrassment of having Hanai see him in such a state earlier. Hanai smiled at him reassuringly and that strange feeling occurred once more—much stranger this time. Huh, weird.<p>

Tajima made his way confidently to Abe's desk and caught the catcher's gaze, Abe's eyes stared painfully cold into his own and he was honestly incredibly intimidated at the boy's hard glare. Tajima drew up the courage to speak—Abe's eyes continued to stare into his own.

"About what happened earlier—" Tajima was cut off by a sharp blow to his left cheek, his head jerked to the side at the impact of the hard punch. Tajima's hand flew to his cheek—attempting to somehow stop the pain with his hand. He glared at Abe in both surprise and pain.

"You think you can take the only good thing in my life away from me and just like that I'll accept it and get on with my life!" Abe yelled loudly at the other boy—his chest heaving from pure anger. Hanai had stood up in an attempt to stop whatever was about to happen, the rest of Abe's class had stopped to watch the commotion unfold.

"You think he's only important to you?" Tajima spat back, his hand still cradling his cheek in an attempt to soothe the pain. "He's important to me too, more than you will ever know!" Tajima shouted, Abe still glared silently at the freckled boy. "I—I love him so much I don't know what to do anymore" Tajima felt his voice crack, he tried not to look at all the inquiring stares—he focused purely on Abe, who looked surprised. "You weren't meant to be the one who confessed first" Tajima continued in a quieter voice. "But it's inevitable" He darted his eyes quickly to Hanai who smiled and nodded encouragingly. "That's why…"

Tajima stood up straight and faced Abe fully. "I'll give up on Mihashi, I'll let him talk to you before I tell you why" Tajima stuck out his hand. "I'm sorry Abe, I was jealous, Mihashi doesn't feel the same way about me and I don't blame him. I'm sorry." Tajima bowed his head down, he felt Abe grab his hand and shake it slowly.

"I overreacted" Abe replied, embarrassed to admit that. "I just thought—when I saw you two kissing, I've never felt that bad before." Tajima nodded in understanding and gripped Abe's hand hander.

"Treat him good, okay?" Tajima asked the boy. Abe smiled softly and nodded. "He's in detention right now, he wasn't paying attention in class—I guess that's my fault." Tajima admitted with a laugh. "He should be out soon—you should go see him." Abe nodded, muttered a thank you and ran off in the direction of Mihashi's class.

Tajima turned to find Hanai standing next to him—his hands in his pockets and looking slightly uncomfortable.

"You can cry, if you want to." Hanai stated, Tajima's face twisted into an odd expression before he shook it off.

"No" He said as he stood his ground. "I'm done crying." He turned and smiled genuinely at Hanai who blushed a crimson colour. "I like me better when I'm smiling anyway" Hanai couldn't help but smile at this.

"Yeah" The captain stated as they both looked into the direction Abe ran to. "I like you better when you're smiling too" Tajima eyed Hanai quickly, his heart thumping loudly in his chest for some reason.

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><p>As soon as Abe turned the corner to arrive at Mihashi's class the bell rang for break to end, the catcher stood firm—there was no way he was missing his chance. He felt someone pat him roughly on the back, with surprised eyes he turned to face the culprit. Tajima grinned at him.<p>

"Go get him" Tajima urged reassuringly. Abe bit his lip and nodded, his stomach feeling oddly queasy as he followed Tajima into the classroom. Mihashi's classmates were all at their places now, the teacher at the desk and sorting out the lesson plan, Abe spotted Mihashi still sat at his desk looking like the epitome of misery. Abe made his way over to the small pitcher, ignoring the glances from students, the confused gaze of the teacher, he stood in front of his pitcher's desk.

"Mihashi" Abe said softly, his eyes trailing down Mihashi's saddened features—his heart leaped when Mihashi slowly looked up into his eyes, a faint blush of confusion on his cheeks.

"A-Abe kun?" Mihashi whispered, not quite believing his eyes—did this mean that Abe wasn't mad at him anymore? His eyes darted to Tajima who smiled softly back at him, did Tajima speak to him?

"I love you" Abe stated, his voice full of confidence and reassurance. "I love you and only you, I don't care about what happened yesterday, it's been cleared up" Abe smiled quickly at Tajima and then brought his focus back to Mihashi. "I'm sorry I rushed to conclusions, I should have known that you weren't like that Mihashi" Abe continued, he knelt on the ground so that he was now eye level with his pitcher. "I love you more than I've ever loved another person before, you have to believe me Mihashi. What happened yesterday doesn't matter anymore, don't beat yourself up over it." Abe remarked, his eyes never leaving the watering blonde boys'.

"A-Abe kun…" Mihashi started, his voice sounded choked. Before Abe could register what was happening the blonde boy's lips were pushing timidly and shyly against his own, they felt warm and just so _right_. Abe pushed his lips back against Mihashi's in response and they pulled away quickly, soon aware that the entirety of class nine were giving them strange looks. Izumi rolled his eyes at Hamada who was whispering "I told you so!" to the freckled boy, Tajima smiled softly—finally accepting that Mihashi is Abe's now and that's the way it should be. Abe grinned sheepishly at a reddened Mihashi.

"Are you two quite finished?" The teacher stated, Abe flushed red and nodded slowly, without uttering a word. Mihashi stayed silent in shock and embarrassment. "Abe san if you would kindly make your way back to your own class, you and Mihashi san can catch up _after_ school hours" The teacher smirked at the boy, Abe nodded and turned to look at Mihashi once more.

"Wait for me after school, yeah?" Abe asked, Mihashi nodded in reply and Abe smiled softly and planted a kiss on the smaller boy's forehead before leaving the room—the smile never leaving his face. However he stopped when he got to Tajima's desk, he placed a hand on Tajima's shoulder causing the freckled boy to look up at him.

"Thank you" Abe whispered to the other boy, "Oh, and Hanai wants to talk to you after school" Abe added, Tajima raised an eyebrow at the sly smirk Abe gave him—he could feel his cheeks heating up. What did Hanai want to say to him which he couldn't say before?

Abe returned back to his classroom, Hanai smiled at the ecstatic atmosphere around the catcher.

"It went well then, huh?" Hanai asked, Abe grinned in response.

"We kissed, I told him I loved him more than anyone and he kissed me" Abe stated happily, Hanai grinned at him and high fived him. "When are you gonna tell Tajima anyway?" Abe asked, the captain flushed in response.

"I—uh, after school hopefully, I'm still not sure whether it's the right time or not, he _just_ got over Mihashi. I'd feel like a rebound" Hanai admitted, Abe nodded—it made sense, Tajima was irrevocably in love with Mihashi just ten minutes ago.

"You'll know what to do when you see him, Hanai" Abe said reassuringly, placing a hand on Hanai's shoulder, the captain smiled—he had a lot of thinking to do.

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><p>The day went by quickly, before the four boy's knew it the end of the day had arrived. Mihashi and Tajima made their way to the front gate, talking just like they used to. When Tajima put his arm around Mihashi in his usual fashion his heart didn't thump, he didn't feel embarrassed or awkward to do that to Mihashi anymore.<p>

"Oiii! Abe, Hanai!" Tajima yelled cheerfully, waving his arm in the air. Hanai smiled softly and genuinely at the shorter boy, absolutely relieved that they had the old Tajima back. Mihashi blushed as they made their way over to the catcher and the captain.

Abe reached out his hand to take Mihashi's own in his. "Hey" Abe stated lamely, Mihashi blushed up at his, could he call him his boyfriend yet?

"H-hi" Mihashi stuttered in response, his hand gripping Abe's and his heart thumping. Abe grinned and pressed a soft kiss against Mihashi's lips which Mihashi responded to straight away.

Tajima looked up at a blushing Hanai intently.

"W-what" Hanai asked, his cheeks flushing red. Tajima raised an eyebrow.

"You wanted to talk to me?" Tajima asked, Hanai shot a glare towards Abe who shrugged back at him and smirked.

"Y-Yeah I guess" Hanai stated, his hand rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly, Tajima studied the captain's expression, his lips curling into a devious smile as the blush on Hanai's face said it all. Tajima turned to Abe and Mihashi.

"Hey could you guys start walking? We'll catch up!" Tajima shouted over at them, Abe grinned knowingly for a moment then pulled a confused Mihashi away.

"Hanai, you don't need to say anything" Tajima told the flushing boy, Hanai merely gave the clean up hitter a confused look which grew all the more confused as soon as he felt the freckled boy's lips attacking his own prominently.

Hanai groaned into the kiss, his eyes watering as the one thing he truly had been wanting for too long now was finally happening. Tajima was kissing him—with all he had, Hanai wrapped his arms around the smaller boy's waist and pulled the boy flush against him—he could feel Tajima's grin against his lips. Nothing felt more right.

Tajima pulled away with a grin still plastered on his face. Hanai blushed, the thumping of his heart noticeable by both him and Tajima.

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" Tajima asked the captain.

"You were in love with Mihashi, I couldn't do that to you." Hanai stated, his eyes absorbed in Tajima's. Tajima bit his lip and looked incredibly guilty.

"All that time, while I was crying, while I was saying how much I loved Mihashi and you—you were in love with me the whole time." Tajima whispered, Hanai smiled softly at him, his fingers tracing the younger boy's hips. "I'm sorry" Tajima said quietly, a lot like he did when they had that phone call the other day.

Hanai rolled his eyes and placed a chaste kiss on the freckled boy's lips.

"It's okay, I love you, it's okay." Hanai whispered, Tajima sniffed and nodded.

"I think I'm falling in love with you Hanai" Tajima admitted, the captain blushed deep then beamed at the smaller boy.

"Well you're in luck because I'm already in love with you and I have been for a while now" Hanai admitted, Tajima sighed in content and leant his head against Hanai's chest.

"Looks like we have a lot of catching up to do in our relationship then" Tajima stated with a wink, Hanai blushed and decided not to think too deeply about what Tajima just said. Instead he gripped the clean up hitter's hand and pulled him along after him—walking towards Mihashi and Abe to catch up.

The four boy's left for home, hand in hand, each one happy and content in their newly formed relationships.

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><p><strong>END. Okay so that ending, I admit, was a bit rushed but I hope you guys enjoyed this fic ! Once again i'm sorry that I've taken so long to update it ! <strong>


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